Glen Burnie library seeks help on building upkeep

November 04, 1992|By Andrea F. Siegel | Andrea F. Siegel,Staff Writer

For the first time since it welcomed readers in 1934, the Kuethe Library is asking an outside contributor to help keep it open.

Trustees are requesting that the Glen Burnie Improvement Association, which dedicated a piece of land for the library to be built on 60 years ago, contribute $3,000 a year toward maintaining the red brick building.

"We've managed to operate these many, many years without having to go outside," said Henry L. Hein, president of the library building's board of trustees.

But now, said Mr. Hein, who also is the chairman of the board of the Bank of Glen Burnie, income from the $25,000 trust that William and Rose Kuethe established for the library no longer covers upkeep.

When the trust was started in 1932, a 6 percent yield "carried the building," he said. But with lower interest rates and higher operating costs, "that's nothing today," he said.

Because of its age, the two-room library on Crain Highway needs constant maintenance. Some major systems, such as electric lines and plumbing, have been updated.

"They are going to be a line item" when the proposed 1993 budget is unveiled at the GBIA meeting Tuesday, said Muriel G. Carter, GBIA president. The association's membership will discuss the contribution separately, then vote on it.